COSTA MESA -- The College STUNT Coaches Association has announced the 2023 All-Americans for the sport and the Lions received three First-Team selections and two Second-Team honorees for the NAIA Division.
Rebecca Im,
Ysabella Hernandez, and
Alexis Jimenez were named to the First-Team and
Alize Banuelos and
Grace Hartanov were selected to the Second-Team. For the full release, click
Here.
Voted on by the coaches, the student-athletes must participate in all four quarters of a STUNT match, play in at least 50 percent of the games played by the program, and be a vital component to the team's success. The Lions went 13-6 in 2023, losing only to Jessup and Cal Baptist. VU made the 2023 STUNT NAIA Division Tournament and beat Hope twice to reach the championship match, finishing second at the end of the event. The Lions defeated six NCAA Division I programs and delivered three shutouts over the course of the season.
"The recognition of being an All-American was a big accomplishment for these girls with the larger team that we have," said Head Coach
Leslie Allen. "The competition to be in all four quarters was set at a really high bar, so for these five to be chosen means they were able to make an impact in each routine and worked hard for the team because we were blessed with a lot of great talent this year at every position. I'm proud of what this group did and the example they set for the newcomers to this team and I hope that everyone will grow into next season and we can take the fight to Jessup."